An Understanding
by softoldshoe
Summary: Due to the events in Escape and Love vol. 6, Takaba is living with Asami and is about ready to kill him for undermining his efforts to reestablish himself as a photojournalist. They try to find out how to coexist in the same world and pent house .
1. Chapter 1

As he read the text, it was all Akihito could do to hold back a scream of frustration. His submission had been rejected, again.

"Asami, you have to stop doing this," he said evenly.

"Oh, really?" His . . .lover arched one perfect eyebrow at him before sitting up in bed and lighting a cigarette. For the third time since they had returned from Hong Kong, Asami had blocked Takaba's photo submissions to the paper.

"Two of my assignments had absolutely nothing to do with you or your business. I know you think it's hilarious to piss me off, but I'd like to make rent next month." Asami's expression darkened.

"Just keep living here and you won't have to," he said dismissively.

"I've spent enough time confined and subject to the whims of a madman this year, but thanks anyway," Takaba scoffed as he searched for his underwear between the sheets. Asami did _not_ care for the implication that he was no different from Feilong.

"I'm surprised you're so eager to get into trouble again. The people you've photographed would love to get their hands on you, but," he added harshly, "maybe you like that?" Takaba flinched. He was just trying to get his old self back, and that meant being brave enough to do his old job, knowing all too well the dangers. Asami noticed he'd struck a chord and continued in a calmer tone. "How long do you plan to work like this, hm? Your body won't be able to keep up forever. It might . . . benefit you to have a wider experience in your field for when you're too old to outrun anybody who might be chasing you."

"What, like taking wedding photos again?" Takaba shot back sarcastically as he wiggled into his camo briefs.

"Grown-ups realize that not every aspect of their job is ideal," Asami growled as his patience thinned.

"Grown-ups are boring," Takaba said dismissively.

"Oh, really?" Asami purred with a sly grin. Akihito's mouth went dry as he recognized the look.

"No. No way. I have work tomor-"

"I've already cancelled your next job and told your editor not to give you anymore assignments of that nature if he values his life."

Akihito froze; he was too furious to speak. He had to leave, or else he was going to punch the bastard right in that damn sexy, smug mouth, and that would end poorly for his ass. Asami watched the color drain from Takaba's face and was disappointed when he didn't explode. He wasn't sure he liked this recently acquired self-control. It made it harder to see what the other was thinking. Takaba gathered up his clothes and walked out of the bedroom stiffly. A couple minutes later, Asami heard the door to the penthouse open and slam shut. He took a long, exasperated drag on his cigarette and sighed. _Can't you see what I'm trying to do, Akihito?_


	2. Chapter 2

Takaba still hadn't come home by the time Asami got back from work the next day. He knew he was staying at his friend Kou's house. Asami only allowed Takaba to run there as often as he did because research showed Kou to be determinedly heterosexual despite a decided lack of success with the opposite sex. Asami smirked as he kicked off his shoes; Takaba had the strangest taste in people. He went into the bedroom to get rid of his clothes before sauntering to the bathroom. He had just walked past the sink on the way to the shower when he backed up and did a double-take. There was only one toothbrush in the heavy porcelain cup, and it was his. Takaba's bright orange toothbrush had been there earlier when Asami was getting ready for work; he remembered because he had a ritual of staring at with a warm sense of satisfaction as he brushed his own teeth at the start of each day. It had never gone missing before.

Fighting the panic rising in his chest, he hurried to the bedroom, grabbed his phone, and called Suoh.

"Report on Takaba," He said calmly.

"Isn't he there, Asami-sama?" the guard asked hesitantly.

"Would I be calling you if he were?" he growled.

"No, sir."

"Call me back in five minutes with something useful to say," he snapped before hanging up. He flung open the closet and knew seconds after scanning the well-organized shelves that Takaba's duffle bag was gone. He hurried to the chest of draws and slid the top drawer open feeling almost sick with apprehension. He felt a small sense of relief to see that most of Takaba's underwear and socks were still there. He checked the other drawers; it would appear the boy had left most of his clothes. Asami ran his fingers through his hair with an exasperated sigh, _idiot. _Takaba would be coming back. Probably. Asami knew there was one place to look if he wanted to be sure. He actually hesitated a moment before he tramped into the living room and unlocked the camera case. Only two of the cameras were missing. _That brat is just on another job and you totally-never mind. _Suoh was calling him.

"Yes?"

"He has a job in Hokkaido. I'll get the rest out of the punk soon, but-"

"Which punk?"

"Takato. He still remembers me so it only took a call. Kirishima is on his way to Kou's."

"Oh?" On occasion, even he was impressed with how quickly his men mobilized.

"He thought a personal visit would be best to get at the details."

"I see. How did Takaba escape his guard?"

"We aren't sure. He was followed to the penthouse at 3 pm today and the guard never saw him come out."

"That brat." He hung up. The sudden trip to Hokkaido surprised him. _What are you trying to do, Akihito?_ Feeling a little cold and irritated from traipsing around his home in the nude on account of a brat like Takaba Akihito, he retreated to the bathroom for a hot shower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: here there be language.**

Takaba stood on the platform anxiously waiting for the early train to Hokkaido to arrive. He looked at his watch. He asked Kou and Takato to stall Asami just long enough for him to make a clean getaway. He had been hired to take shots for a guide book a travel agency was putting together. It wasn't that he was taking Asami's advice about seeking out other jobs; he just needed some time out of the controlling bastard's reach so he could think. He needed to know where he stood with aforementioned controlling bastard, but he needed to find his feet to do that, feet being necessary for standing. It was hard enough to form a strategy on winning (or stealing, he wasn't picky) the older man's little black heart without getting treated slightly worse than a fuck buddy day-in and day-out. Add to that the lingering PTSD from Hong Kong and well, Takaba was surprised he was doing as well as he was. The train finally groaned to a halt in front of the platform. Takaba shook his head to clear his thoughts as he boarded and flung himself into a seat by the window. Eventually, the train bolted to life and headed north. The further away he got from Tokyo, the higher his spirits rose.

Kou kept his eyes glued to the digital clock perched on top of the TV even as his vision swam due to the hand tightening around his throat. He only had to hold out another two minutes. He could do that. The man in the glasses wouldn't kill him, probably, because Aki would be _so_ pissed. He was careful to stay out all night so that he wouldn't get caught too early. He had come home just a little before eight that morning, and as soon as he was in the door, he was grabbed and slammed against the wall by one irate megane. He demanded to know everything about Aki's gig in Hokkaido.

"You have no idea who you're messing with, do you?" the man said in his ear calmly. Kou just grinned, despite the pain, glad that he was finally able to do something to help his friend. The hand around his throat loosened.

"I'll mess with anyone for Aki," Kou said cockily, "and make a mess of them, too." Kirishima rolled his eyes. The punk had no clue.

"How long did Takaba Akihito tell you to stall?"

"What? I don't know what you're-"

"You've been watching the clock, it's obvious."

"Only one more minute," Kou said in his best wheedling voice. Kirishima released him.

"I can live with that." He was wearing his favorite suit, after all, and it had just come back from the cleaners from the last time he had to beat the crap out of somebody for information. They both watched till the clock till it was eight. "Now, talk, brat," he barked.

Kou cleared his throated annoyingly, "Ahem, ahem," before reciting the details of his friend's job.


	4. Chapter 4

Takaba couldn't help looking over his shoulder after getting off at the platform at Toya. He was certain Asami knew where he was by now, but he doubted the yakuza would interfere. He was probably too busy controlling the universe and taking money baths.

"Takaba-kun?" He turned around. A man emerged from the crowd on the platform and shook his hand.

"Shino-san?" Takaba winced as his hand was enthusiastically squeezed by the larger man. The other blinded him with a grin from under a three-day-old beard.

"Welcome to Hokkaido, are you ready?"

"Yes, sir!" Shino-san's grin was contagious. "Please take care of me." He stepped back and bowed formally. Shino-san just laughed and slapped Takaba on the back.

He was in his office between meetings when, Kirishima, after setting down his fourth cup of coffee of day, spoke, "Asami-sama?"

"Hm?" he grunted as he looked over a file on his desk.

"I've heard Hokkaido is nice this time of year." Asami looked up. _Akihito. _

"Indeed?"

"Perhaps while Takaba Akihito is there, you would find it beneficial to take a short vacation in the same place?" Asami rubbed his face wearily. God knows he wanted to.

"Did you find him?"

"He's working near Lake Toya taking pictures for this travel agency's new guidebook." He slid the file on the company onto Asami's desk. "He's staying near Mt. Usu in the home of one of the agency's guides, Shino Ren." Asami looked up at him. "Married. One child." Kirishima answered the unasked question while holding back a grimace. He didn't understand how such an irritating brat like Takaba Akihito made his boss so . . . crazy.

"What time does he leave?"

"Eight, day after tomorrow."

"Available flights between now and then?" Asami was suddenly very sick of work.

"The best option puts you at the Shin-Chitose airport by seven pm on his last day."

"Book the necessary tickets."

"Of course, Asami-sama." The brat did come in handy, though; he was a good way to distract the boss when he was in a foul mood or making them work long hours. Kirishima called these "Brat Breaks," and he was fond of them.

Asami went to bed as soon as he got home. Without Takaba around, there was no point in remaining awake. He'd been pushing himself at a brutal pace for the past two months, ever since he'd gotten Takaba back, and it was getting to him. Spending far too much time having sex and arguments, with not nearly enough sleep, may have contributed to the constant state of exhaustion he'd found himself in. Reopening his wounds in Hong Kong hadn't helped matters either. Then emotionally . . . he was at a loss. Watching Takaba get shot on the deck of that ship had done bad things to him, things that just wouldn't go away. It wasn't like he could talk to anyone about it, either. Yakuza are supposed to _be_ nightmares, not have them_. _

His alarm clocked beeped obnoxiously. Hadn't he just shut his eyes? He glared at the glowing blue numbers: it was another day (well, night) for him. Asami groaned and rolled out of bed. He stumbled into the bathroom and stared at the single toothbrush forlornly leaning against the toothpaste in the cup. He shook himself. _It won't be long before you drag him back._


	5. Chapter 5

Takaba laughed till he cried; Ren-san was hilarious. They were sitting in the Shino's living room after a long day touring around Lake Toya and a few of the surrounding towns. It was the last day of Takaba's whirlwind trip, and his feet were killing him. They had hiked all over the place. Ren-san had such enthusiasm for his job. His open, easy manner made Takaba feel right at home.

"So Takaba-kun, what does the future hold for you now? Volcanoes and lakes are far more beautiful than criminals." _All except one, _Akihito thought. He forced a laugh.

"I have to admit, this ended up being a bigger challenge than I thought it would be. Getting just one shot of a big-time criminal is hard to do, but it doesn't have to be particularly _good_, you know? Here, the competition is different. _Everyone_ is taking pictures of the volcanoes and lakes, from tourists to professionals."

Ren-san nodded. "So, in some ways it's the same; you have to get the shot the no one else can." Takaba blinked.

"That's true," he admitted. It _was_ true.

"And a bear won't shoot you for taking his picture," Ren-san added a little more seriously. "He might chase after you, but at least he doesn't know your address." Akihito laughed, picturing a bear in a suit and tie driving Asami's limo.

"You really like the outdoors, don't you Ren-san?"

"Of course! I could never live in Tokyo and all that "man-made" adventure."

Ren-san launched into another story, this one involving himself, a family of six, and a particularly persistent bear cub. He paused halfway through when a knock sounded on the door, but his wife, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, yelled that she would get it.


	6. Chapter 6

A handsome and extremely well-dressed man stood on the Shino's doorstep. Mrs. Shino didn't know what to say. Asami was used to that.

"I'm here to pick up Takaba Akihito." He smiled charmingly; housewives were easy.

"Oh, I thought Takaba-kun was staying with us this evening," Mrs. Shino said uncertainly. She was so flustered that she didn't notice the man had entered her home without her permission.

"I finished my work early, so came to surprise him," he explained. A sudden burst of laughter startled both of them.

"Ren loves having a new face to tell all his stories to," she said indulgently. Asami could hear Takaba practically wheezing with laughter.

"I don't want to interrupt them," Asami said genteelly. In truth, any chance to eavesdrop on his lover was welcome. Takaba had never been simple, even more so now.

"If you'd like to wait in the kitchen, I'll make some tea, erm . . ."

"Ryuichi," he said.

Asami sat at the cramped kitchen table while Mrs. Shino made tea, chattering gently about what the men had done that day. He looked around the warm, homey kitchen and felt extremely uncomfortable. Places like this brought a flood of emotions and memories he didn't care to experience at all, and certainly not in a stranger's house. He heard Akihito's voice through the wall. It was rapid, excited, entertained. He sounded like himself again. Asami relaxed and let Mrs. Shino's words run soothingly over his ears, giving laconic answers to her occasional questions about himself, his work, or Takaba. He realized she was not at all bothered by him, people usually were.

Suddenly, Asami felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. He raised his head and saw two pairs of eyes staring at him from around the corner. One set was yellow, the other brown. After studying him for a moment, the little girl toddled over to him, undeterred by his glares, and promptly shoved a picture book into his elegant hands. He was too horrified and shocked to stop her when the three-year-old clambered into his lap. Impatient with his slowness, she took the book back and opened it. She stabbed one stubby finger on the first word and looked up at him expectantly. The white cat remained where it was, surveying his predicament amusedly.

"Oh, Mei, I didn't see you come in. Is the nice nii-chan reading you a book?" Mrs. Shino set his tea on the table and patted the little girl's head before going back to the stove determined to make something for the new guest to eat. Asami, seeing no way out of this that didn't involve a handgun, began to the read the book aloud as quietly as possible. The little girl slowly leaned against his chest, and he was careful not to make any sudden moves. She insisted on looking at all the pictures, mostly of animals, for a couple minutes at a time, tracing the lines with her small fingers and identifying them in a soft, high-pitched mumble.

It was somewhere in the middle of the book, perhaps on the page about artic foxes, when Asami relaxed infinitesimally and was forced to admit this wasn't so bad. Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye: now, the cat was making its stealthy approach. He stopped reading. _No. _It stopped halfway across the kitchen floor and sat, just staring at him. An impatient tug on Asami's lapel brought his attention back to the book. As he read, he kept an eye on the fur ball that watched him with gleeful malice. All too soon, the cat crept closer and rolled around on the floor at his feet tauntingly. Asami took a deep breath, a draught of tea, and, like a man, kept reading. The little girl was munching on a rice ball, oblivious to his distress. He felt a nudge on his pant leg. He looked down just in time to see the evil feline look up at him and rub its body against his shin before languidly curling around to get his calf on the other leg, leaving a trail of white fur on the dark and expensive clothing. His pants were going to the cleaners as soon as possible. He sighed. Now that it had happened, he could ignore it. He turned the page.

Half his mind concentrated on the bits of conversation floating in from the other room. He had to admit he was frustrated that he could never talk to Takaba so easily, and he was a little jealous that a man who had only known the photographer for two and half days, could. He'd been thinking a lot since the brief scare he'd had from Takaba's absentee toothbrush that had led him to think, for a moment, anyway, that the photographer had actually left him. It was an experience he didn't care to go through a second time. No one had ever left him before, aside from those who went from his presence with a bullet (or five) snugly between their eyes. That was alright. As unfortunate as his home life had been growing up, he'd never before experienced the feeling of being abandoned. That is, until Takaba Akihito and his missing toothbrush. He was brought back to the present as Takaba fired off a series of questions at his loquacious host. Asami smiled slightly, _such a glutton for punishment, Akihito._

They were on the page about Shetland ponies when the cat let out a happy "Mreow!" and darted away. Asami looked up and locked eyes with one utterly confounded Takaba Akihito, who had followed Ren-san into the kitchen on a quest for more beer


	7. Chapter 7

Akihito blinked, completely oblivious to the cat rubbing against his ankles. Was that Asami Ryuichi? Was that Asami Ryuichi reading to a _child_? The golden eyes widened slightly when they saw him. Was Asami blushing? Or was that just the lighting? His heart warmed and ached so much he could barely breathe. Mei broke the spell by slithering off Asami's lap and running to her father, who hoisted her up into his big arms, sending a slightly jealous glare at the other man as he did. Asami smirked and stood. Mrs. Shino noticed the men and left the stove excitedly.

"Oh, Ren, this is Takaba-kun's friend, Ryuichi. Why didn't you tell us you were vacationing up here?" She narrowed her eyes at Akihito.

_Ryuichi? _"I didn't know," Akhito said, still reeling. He couldn't get over it. A little girl, a cat, _Ryuichi_, a picture book, _ponies, _all in one little kitchen, it was too much.

"Surprise," Asami intoned with his trademark smirk. Takaba was bewildered. "The rental is out front," Asami hinted.

"Right. I'll get my stuff." He gathered his things in a daze, thanked the Shino's for their help and hospitality then followed Asami outside.

"Why are you limping?" Asami said sharply when he noticed how gingerly the photographer walked down the path. If that man-bear, Shino Ren, put one paw on his Akihito's-

"My feet are killing me. We hiked all over the place today," he groaned.

"I see." Asami unlocked the trunk to a modest-looking sedan. There was no sign of Kirishima or Suoh.

"Did something happen?" Akihtio asked after he threw his things into the trunk.

"No, why?"

"You're alone."

"I gave them the night off. They're probably enjoying the onsen as we speak." He got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Sometime during the quiet drive to the hotel, Akihito remembered he was still furious at Asami for sabotaging his work for the newspaper. He didn't have the heart to say anything though, after studying the man's tired face as he peered out of the windshield navigating the nighttime traffic.


	8. Chapter 8

When they finally arrived, Akihito was torn on whether or not he wanted the sex that would surely follow. He was still pondering this when Asami stripped down to his boxers, rolled onto the futon with a sigh and shut his eyes. Akihito stared at the prone form uncomprehendingly and a little offended. Asami opened one eye to look at his befuddled lover.

"I'm tired," he explained amusedly before shutting the eye again.

"Ha!" Takaba chortled while kicking off his shoes. "Who was it telling me to find work my body could keep up with?" He pulled off his shirt and jeans.

"Brat," Asami grumbled. Akihito just chuckled and slid himself under the covers next to Asami, who immediately enveloped him with his body.

"Yeah, I am a brat, so aren't you going to read me a bedtime story?" he teased, remembering Mei so placidly snuggled against the crime boss's chest.

"Jealous, Takaba?"

Akihito only snorted in response.

"Brats like you deserve spankings," Asami mumbled before tightening his arms around him. Picturing Takaba's reddened ass sticking out of yukata, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.

Asami sat up before he was even fully awake after the door to the hotel room clicked open. He recognized the silhouette immediately: Kirishima.

"My apologies, Asami-sama." The shadow bowed. "I was checking to see you if you had returned."

"What time is it?"

"Just after midnight." They had slept about three hours, then.

"Arigatou, Kirishima." The other man bowed and left. "Hey, Takaba." Asami turned on the light then flopped, yes, flopped, back down and licked Takaba's cheek. After a few affectionate nuzzles and impatient pokes, Takaba's eyes opened to Asami's leering face hovering over him.

"Gah!"

"Is that the way to greet your lover?" Asami teased after a brief kiss. He pulled a stunned and unresisting Takaba to his feet. Takaba gaped at him. Asami was almost . . . merry? He tensed up, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He jumped as a bundle of fabric hit him in the face and fell to the floor.

"Still asleep, my cute Akihito?" Asami smirked at him from across the room. Takaba picked up the dark fabric at his feet and let it unfurl: a yukata. Asami was already tying the obi of his own. Takaba looked at the clock: it was past midnight!

"Don't you think it's a little late to be going to the bath now?"

"There won't be many people around," Asami said. Takaba blanched.

"Oi! I thought you were tired!"

"Remember the last time we were at an onsen together*?" Asami gave him an absolutely feral grin.

"Don't expect a repeat performance," Takaba snapped.

"I do doubt Feilong will be around, so an exact-"

"There is no way in hell I'm-"

"If you're a good boy as do as I say, I promise to treat you nicely." Takaba narrowed his eyes. He had no doubt his and Asami's definitions of "nicely" were quite different. "Akihito," Asami sighed impatiently, "if I have to drum up the energy to drag you out of here, I can't guarantee how things will go for you once we get there, _or_ back here in the room, for that matter."

Takaba, despite being turned on by Asami's threats, was tired of being angry all the time. He sighed and pulled on the yukata; he would just calmly deal with whatever Asami was about to pull. It was a pity; the past couple days had been great. He had been free of this problematic, but oh-so-fascinating man in front of him, and it had been uncomplicated and nice. Well, maybe the bath would be empty and the bastard wouldn't be able to get off on humiliating him.

*this is a reference to an extra (from vol. 6, I believe) when Akihito is working at a hot spring resort. Both Asami and Feilong appear, there is a threesome, and it's pretty steamy, no pun intended.


	9. Chapter 9

Of course, the bath was fuller than expected, even Asami seemed surprised. As Akihito sank his tired body into the hot water, he hoped the bastard would at least give him a few minutes of peace before launching whatever perverted assault he was planning. Asami sat next to him, stretching his arm along the tub's rocky rim behind Takaba, possessive, but subtle.

"Relax, Takaba," Asami murmured, "it's why we're here."

The younger man glared at him irately before turning away again. Asami sighed and sank deeper in the water, hoping Takaba would follow suit. The brat still had a hard time telling when he was joking and when he wasn't.

Akihito jumped when Asami's hand grazed his thigh. It was just like that bastard to tell him to relax and then pull something like this!

"Hey, sit sideways," Asami said. The younger man narrowed his eyes, trying to anticipate Asami's next move.

"Takaba." Asami used his warning voice. Takaba complied with resentment clearly written across his features.

It was a huge surprise when Asami lifted Akihito's legs onto his lap and began to massage one of his sore feet beneath the water. Akihito bit back a yell and almost submerged himself when the strong fingers pressed against the tender ball of his left foot.

"Wha . . . ?"

"You said they hurt, didn't you?"

Akihito decided not to answer. Instead, he bit his lip and shut his eyes, trying to relax. He felt weird and vulnerable, and frightened, quite frankly.

Asami watched Takaba's reactions closely to gauge what parts of his feet needed attention. Only Takaba would look like _that _during a foot rub. As Asami switched to Takaba's right foot, he glanced at the others sharing the spring with them. He and his lover were getting a lot of looks. Looks that ranged from shock mingled with curiosity, to expressions of disapproval laced with disgust. His laugh had Takaba's eyes open in a flash.

"Are you drunk?" Akihito demanded. Seriously, Asami was acting scary.

"Not at all." Asami lifted Takaba's foot out of the water and placed a kiss on the big toe for all to see.

"Hey!" Takaba turned bright red. "Don't do that!"

"Why not?"

"People will see!"

"They've already seen how much you enjoy my touch, my cute Akihito," Asami purred. "Although I think you should show that expression to me only."

"What?" Akihito hissed. His eyes darted around. Many of the other guests were watching them attentively and whispering. "What did you do?"

"I just gave you a foot rub. You were the one moaning and making such a cute face. Small wonder they thought I was massagingsomething _else_."

Akihito's jaw dropped; he was absolutely mortified. Asami savored the expression for a moment before deciding to distract his horrified lover.

"What sort of places did you go to today?" Asami resumed massaging Takaba's feet.

"Umm. . . we hiked along lake Toya for a while . . ." he dragged his attention back to Asami. "Why?"

"You must have covered a lot of ground for your feet to be this sore."

"There were a lot of places to cover in very little time. We went to Sapporo, too. Ren-san knows this one guy who-"

"Ren-san, huh? Getting cozy with the mountain man?"

"Let me remind you that earlier this evening you were reading to his _little girl _about _ponies, _Uncle Ryuichi," Takaba jeered. "And since when do you introduce yourself with your first name?"

Asami shrugged. "It's better to keep a low-profile while on vacation."

"Vacation? Didn't you just have one?" Akihito thought back to the temporary paradise* they went to after Hong Kong.

"The very rich can afford to have vacations as often as they'd like, Takaba," he said as if explaining something to a small child. Akihito just rolled his eyes.

*Temporary Paradise is the name of the extra that comes after the Hong Kong arc, so a little nod to Yamane-sensei.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Finally, some lemony goodness.

They returned to the room without incident, much to Akihito's surprise. The hot water had made him drowsy, which surely explained why he didn't bother fighting off Asami as he pulled him into his arms for a kiss. The yakuza must have felt lethargic too, since he was actually being gentle.

As they took their time making out, Asami slowly pulled the yukata from Takaba's lithe torso so that the younger man was naked from the waist up. He kissed down Takaba's perfect neck and shoulders, so soft from the hot water, as the other struggled to loosen the belt of Asami's yukata. Asami pulled him down onto his lap as he sat cross-legged on the futon. Takaba finally yanked the yukata open and latched onto Asami's chest with his lips. Asami, understandably distracted, rummaged in his bag for lube with one hand. His other was preoccupied with exploring Takaba's left pectoral and grazing the nipple every so often with slightly calloused fingertips. Takaba moaned and buried his face in the crook of Asami's strong neck, breathing in his scent and tracing his skin with a clumsy, eager tongue, rationalizing it as a return of fire. Asami nibbled teasingly on Takaba's ear and neck, exposed by his position, making the younger man press even closer. Eventually, Takaba raised himself up and tangled a hand in the older man's hair to pull him in for a kiss. Asami's hand finally closed over the tube of lube in triumph. He wrapped both arms around Takaba and deepened the kiss. After a long, delicious moment of that, they broke for air. Each felt the panting breath of the other on his cheek and as their eyes locked, amber with hazel, the two sensed something was different. They gazed at each other searchingly as if asking, _What does this mean to you?_ Akihito held his breath when Asami eased forward and rested his cheek against Akihito's own.

"Turn around," Asami murmured in his ear, eliciting a shiver from the younger man. He urged Takaba down so that his hands were on the floor and his ass was over Asami's lap. Asami coated his fingers in lube before pressing them against Takaba's entrance. It wasn't long before he had three fingers grinding inside his mewling lover.

Akihito gritted his teeth, trying to keep the embarrassing sounds from coming out. That damned foot rub, and the atypical slow, sensual foreplay, had thrown him way off balance.

"Ah! Mmm! Mmmrrrrmmmrrr! MmrAH!"

Asami could barely contain his laughter at the desperate little growl-whimpers. Takaba was trying so hard. After a few minutes, Asami rose to his knees and withdrew his fingers.

"Are you ready, my cute Akihito?" he whispered in his ear. Akihito shuddered, as Asami's warm hand gripped his hip, way too turned on for his own good. _Oh god, he's asking. The one time he asks, and I can't say no._

"Y-yeah," he breathed. _Please, now._

Asami pushed inside slowly, watching his lover's back tense up.

"Relax, Akihito," he purred while lightly stroking Takaba's lower back. The boy shuddered then moaned. Did Asami have any idea what using his name with that voice did to him? He suspected so. God, if only this was not a plot to humiliate and control him—_Fuck! _Asami moved in slow, steady, strong, strokes. Heaven. An unbearable heaven fill with unstoppable, broken cries tearing out of his body, his thrumming body that would not stop pushing back to meet each delicious thrust. It was terrifying. Usually, the agony that was loving Asami, a damned Yakuza bastard that would never love him back, was drowned out by the physical pain of their typical fast and hard fucking, but now, he could feel it festering and burning in his chest. _This is why you let him do that to you, so you can't feel this, _he thought accusingly. _You're such a coward. _

Asami was as aroused by Takaba's cries as he was confused. Had he known taking him like this would have yielded such results, he would have tried it much, much sooner. The boy was practically beside himself. Sometimes though, what was wrenched from his mouth sounded like cries of pain, worse than the usual ones, but he didn't yell at him to stop. Asami didn't understand it and it bothered him. He thought about stopping and asking him if he was okay. He shook his head; Takaba would hate that. He increased the pace instead, driving them both to completion. Takaba shouted with a raw, startled voice as he came and collapsed. Asami stiffened with a guttural growl as he found his own release, seconds later.

Akihito whimpered and buried his face in the sheets when Asami pulled out; god, this was embarrassing. His orgasm had been strong enough to scare him. It also dulled the pain in his heart somewhat, but now the vulnerability was paralyzing. He was surprised when the room went dark. Asami had turned off the lights. Shortly after that, Akihito found himself being tugged against the older man, who pulled the covers over them with a deep, enigmatic sigh. Akihito surreptitiously wiped away his tears and tried to focus on the comforting sensation of Asami's warm, even breath as it caressed the back of his sweaty neck.


	11. Chapter 11

Akihito was swimming very quickly through the ocean. He passed by coral reefs full of beauty and mystery. He wished he could slow down and take a closer look, but he couldn't seem to stop. He flipped over on his back to keep looking at a huge fan coral he had whooshed by. It was then he noticed he had a giant tail instead of legs. He was a merman . . . awesome! Akihito laughed gleefully, and awkwardly tried to change the speed and direction his enthusiastic tail was taking him. He was just getting the hang of it when a net closed over him and dragged him toward the surface.

He thrashed and screamed, but couldn't get free. He was lifted out of the water and momentarily suspended over the deck of a boat, squeezed tightly by the soggy ropes. He got a brief glimpse of Kirishima, dressed in a bright yellow fisherman's mac from head to toe, before he was dumped out onto the wooden deck. A few other fish spilled out with him, flipping and huffing desperately. He tried to struggle to his feet, but then remembered he didn't have any anymore. Never a quitter, he began to roll toward the edge of the deck. He froze when he felt vibrations along the wooden planks beneath him, tiding the approach heavy footsteps. He looked up and saw a tall pirate striding toward him dressed in a black coat and flanked by his yellow fisherman minions. Akihito could see the glint of a golden earring and a blood-red bandana sticking out from underneath a dark captain's hat. Wait . . . was that Asami? Was that _stubble_? Akihito felt very warm. He covered for himself quickly.

"You bastard! I was _swimming_! Why the hell do you have to ruin _swimming_ for me!"

Asami leered at him and slung Takaba over his shoulder. _Yay! Sex! _Akihito thought, suddenly giddy before sternly shaking himself. _What has gotten into me? _He was still pretty delighted, despite himself, as Asami carried him into the captain's cabin. He saw a very big bed and braced himself to be thrown on it. Instead, he found himself dumped, with a splash, into a large fish tank set into the wall of the cabin. He blinked at Asami through the glass, rather confused. _Okay, I am a merman, so this kind of makes sense, but . . . . _Asami turned away and sat at a table nearby and drank off a glass of brandy. He was now in his usual ridiculously expensive suit, sexy stubble and earring nowhere to be seen. A man with gray hair came in the room. Asami stood, shook the man's hand, and then they both sat down and started talking over drinks. _A business meeting. _Akihito wished he had his camera.

He soon got bored and began swimming back and forth in the tank. Well, more like paddling. The tank was only twice his length and the width and depth couldn't be much more than six feet. One strong snap of his merman tail had sent him face first into the tank wall. He felt more and more panicked as Asami continued to have meetings and ignore him. The tank began to feel gross and impersonal, like those tanks at the pet store with half-eaten dead fish stuck to the filters. He decided he'd had enough; he knew Asami was busy, but there was an ocean waiting for Akihito. He knocked on the glass, make faces, yelled, but nothing could draw away the other man's attention from his work. Akihito's heart sank, and then he realized he couldn't breathe anymore. He choked on the water and his nose burned. He frantically shot to the top of the tank, only to discover there was glass there too, right on top of the water. _ASAMI!_ He screamed, bashing himself against the tank desperately. He was drowning. His fists were agonizingly slow in the water. Suddenly, Asami was there on the other side of the glass, looking at him unconcernedly and speaking calmly, but Akihito couldn't make out what he was saying. He stared at his lips and recognized one word, _Takaba_, as his vision swirled with black.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: This chapter is choppy, so apologies in advance.

Asami wasn't sure what woke him, so calmly listened to the dark for a few moments. Takaba's breathing seemed labored and he could feel the boy's body twitching against him. Takaba made a small, tortured noise and flailed, hitting Asami in the chest. _Ah, so it was you_. _Bad dreams again, Akihito? _He shook the boy's shoulder.

"Takaba, wake up." The only response was a moan. "Takaba!" The other woke with a sharp inhalation of breath and sat up. Asami could see the glint of sweat covering his body in the faint, but growing, morning light. Takaba seemed . . . extremely relieved as his hazel eyes locked on his lover's face. Much to Asami's surprise, Takaba wrapped his arms around him and laid his head against his chest.

"Bastard," Takaba sighed almost fondly. Asami chuckled quietly and ran a hand up Takaba's spine and into his sweaty hair.

"What were you dreaming about?" Takaba stiffened a little.

He hesitated. "Drowning," he muttered. _As if I could tell you. _Asami stroked his back and didn't say anything.

They woke later in the morning to the ringing of Akihito's cell phone. He furrowed his brow groggily at the unfamiliar number, but answered it anyway.

"Takaba-kun!" Ren-san sang. Akihito held the phone away from his ear, startled.

"Ren-san! How are you?"

"Perfect, though I am concerned for you, Takaba-kun," he continued in a serious tone. Akihito's eyes snapped up to Asami's.

"Why is that?" Akihito asked calmly.

"Because you left your memory card in my computer before leaving last night, silly boy!"

"Oh!" Akihito sagged with relief. For a minute he had thought Ren-san had discovered Asami's identity or something. "Sorry, I guess I was in a hurry."

"It's alright since you already emailed the editors the pictures. I have some news on that by the way."

"Really?" He perked up at that.

"Yes, I'm supposed to get a call from them later today. So here's what I'm thinking: since you're still in Hokkaido, how about you meet me for dinner? I know a great little restaurant near the lake I think you'll like. Then I can give you your card back and we can talk about what the editors said. You can bring Ryuichi-san along, too." _Of course I'll be there, _Asami thought with a smirk. He nodded at Takaba.

"Sure, that sounds great!" The young photographer gushed.

"You don't have to come along, you know," Akihito said as Asami drove them to the restaurant that afternoon.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Ren-san seems like quite the story-teller," he said snidely.

"I really don't see why you have it in for this guy. He's done nothing to you."

"He invited you to dinner."

"For work!" The hazel eyes blazed up at him

"He says it's for work."

"What am I? Your teenage daughter?" Takaba shrieked.

Asami grinned to himself. Takaba, so easy.

"Takaba-kuuuun!" Ren-san called across the parking lot as they got out of the car. His daughter was perched on his shoulders and his wife stood at his side, waving at them.

"Ha, you jerk," Takaba murmured to Asami as they approached the happy family.


	13. Chapter 13

"So what did they say?" Akihito asked once they were seated at a table on the deck.

"They said," Ren-san began, "that your photos were extraordinary and captured the many spirits of Hokkaido with energy, emotion, and grace," he said as if reciting from memory. Asami watched quietly as blush crept up Takaba's neck and into his face.

"They really said that?" the young photographer asked uncertainly.

"They really did. Furthermore, I'm supposed to tell you that they want to get you under contract to finish the rest of the guidebook."

"Whoa." Takaba looked even more red and incredulous.

"The rest of the guidebook?" Asami asked, concerned with the details as always.

"It will cover all of Japan." He turned back to Akihito, "they'll make sure you have transportation and a company guide, like me, at every location."

"How long will I have?" Akihito asked in bewilderment.

"Here's a tentative travel schedule," he passed a packet to Takaba across the table (Asami had deliberately taken the seat between them). "It's arranged to have minimum time spent on travel and maximum time spent at each location. Some places require longer stays than others. It's about a month, as you can see, for the initial run through."

"Initial run through?" Asami asked.

"They want most of the shots to be from the summer, but he might be asked to take smaller trips for seasonal events, like when the cherry trees blossom in the spring, or certain festivals, things like that."

"Do they just want digital photos like before?" Akihito asked, determined to stop Asami from high-jacking one of _his _future gigs.

Ren-san shrugged. "Probably the same. Now the pay rate sounded negotiable to me," he hinted, "since they've never hired a single photographer to do their shots before, so I think you oughta try and squeeze as much as you can out of those fat corporate bas—er—cats," he corrected quickly before grinning at his wife who had already covered their daughter's ears. Akihito's eyes widened apprehensively. He had no idea what he should expect to be paid for this. "Anyway," Ren-san continued, "they'll probably contact you directly to work out the details, but if you need me to fight them for you, just let me know."

"Okay, thanks, Ren-san." Akihito brightened with relief.

"I'll look over your contract to make sure you aren't getting swindled, brat." Asami said, not to be out-done by some furry-faced hiker. Takaba glared at him for the "brat" comment. "The question remains, Akihito," Asami continued amusedly, "are you going to take it?"

"I . . . yes," he said firmly. "It sounds awesome!"

"Of course it does!" Ren-san agreed enthusiastically. "I would do it in a heartbeat if I could take pictures."

"And what would we do?" Mrs. Shino teased.

"Come with me, of course!" He leaned down and kissed the petite woman on the lips.

"Ewww!" Their little daughter Mei grimaced adorably as her parents' affectionate display. Akihito laughed with relief, glad the attention was finally off him.

"Wouldn't you like to ride on a train all over Japan, Mei?" Takaba teased.

She shook her head very seriously. "On a pony."

"Ah, ponies really are the best," Akihito said with a manic grin and sly glance at Asami. He wasn't sure, but it seemed the golden eyes glinted mirthfully back.

"Aki, I wanna feed the duckies."

"Huh?" The little girl pointed at the lake between the slats in the railing. Ducks paddled just below. "Oh, I see." Impulsively, he stuck a breadstick in his mouth, lifted a squealing Mei onto his shoulders, and walked over to the railing a several meters away.

Asami watched as Takaba repeatedly tore small bits off the bread stick and handed them up to the little girl who then threw them down to the quacking ducks and squawking swans.

"He's a great kid," Ren-san said, bringing Asami's attention back to the table. Asami nodded in agreement.

"He was so surprised when you came to get him," Mrs. Shino giggled. "I'll bet it made his day." Asami wondered.

"He was quite exhausted from work," he said.

"That's not surprising. Ren always runs the tourists ragged."

"He kept up with me though, and we covered this area about twice as fast as we normally would. That kind of energy is wasted in a job like he has now. I've been trying to talk him into something safer, but I could tell he wasn't so sure about it."

"You really should quit interfering with other people, Ren," Mrs. Shino said. "Takaba-kun is a grown-up and doesn't seem any worse for the wear."

"Takaba's resilience does make him suited to that line of work," Asami agreed even though had a better idea than anybody how it wore on the younger man.

"I think his talent is lost trying to take down a bunch of damned yakuza," Ren-san huffed. "That's the job of the police."

"True. Akihito is just the kind of brat to get into serious trouble, too."

"What do you mean?"

"He's relentlessly reckless, haven't you noticed?"

"It sounds like you know him very well," Mrs. Shino said. She shot him a sly, knowing grin. Asami straightened a little, surprised; maybe his opinion of housewives could use some work.

"How do you two know each other anyway?" Ren-san asked curiously.

"Through work. I deal with the paper." By "deal" he meant "threaten," which amused him.

"Ah, so you're in a good position to keep him from getting into too much trouble." Ren-san seemed relieved.

"That's the goal." His gaze drifted back to Takaba, who had lifted his camera up to Mei's hands and pointed to the button she should press to take a picture. Asami noticed it was the camera he had given Takaba during their recovery on the island. Mei scrunched up her face as she peered through the viewfinder and mashed the button down with her fingers. Asami glanced over to see the Shinos fondly watching as well. After a few shots, Mei handed the camera down to Takaba proudly. Asami could hear him making a big deal over the little girl's pictures. Takaba turned the camera around and took a picture of himself and Mei.

After showing Mei the picture, Akihito noticed the others were watching. He grinned sheepishly and carried Mei back to the table. He supposed it was time to sit with the grown-ups again. While the Shinos were gushing over their little girl, Asami wordlessly handed Takaba a menu. _What's his problem? _Akihito wondered.

When the meal was over, Asami picked up the tab.

"Hey, now, I should be doing that since I invited you," Ren-san objected.

"It's a thank you for taking care of Akihito this whole time, and I insist," Asami said smoothly. He knew the much poorer man wouldn't object further.

By the time they exchanged goodbyes with the Shinos in the parking lot, it was dark. Takaba dropped into the passenger seat with a happy sigh.

"Did you have a good time?" Asami asked as they pulled onto the main road.

"Yep. Did you?" he asked before he could catch himself. Asami merely nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. Takaba had fallen asleep by the time they reached the resort.

"Such a kid," Asami murmured as he leaned over and kissed Takaba awake. The other was suspiciously slow at pushing him away. "Congratulations, by the way, my cute Akihito," he murmured, still hovering.

"Thanks." Takaba squirmed a little and blushed.

"Think about how you want to celebrate later," Asami purred.


	14. Chapter 14

"I think I'll go to onsen," Takaba said after they got back to the room. He wanted time to sort out his thoughts; Asami was officially weirding him out after nearly 24 hours of un-Asami-like behavior.

"Go ahead. I have to make a few calls." Akihito wondered just how many calls Asami had ignored during their dinner with the Shinos. It made him a little happy.

"Alright."

Asami was already deep in conversation, in what sounded like Russian, by the time Akihito slipped into the yukata. He left for the water with a backward glance. It bothered him a little to leave Asami there alone; he hadn't seen any of his men the whole time. _Whatever, I'll bet that bastard can shoot lasers from his eyes. _

Takaba wandered through the graceful gardens looking for a place that wasn't too crowded. Finally, he found a steaming hot spring with only a few people reclining peacefully inside. Fifteen minutes later, he was thoroughly blissed out, sunk in the warm water, purring with the satisfaction of landing his biggest job to date. It was a bonus that Asami seemed to approve. It might even open the door up to working for a paper his kill-joy yakuza didn't have the power to censor his submissions. _How would you like that, Bastard? _He crowed in advance. He felt a little uncomfortable as he imagined Asami's look of dismay, (somehow it turned into a look of disappointment despite his best efforts) but brushed it off with thoughts of calling Kou and Takato with his news when he returned to the room. His brow furrowed when he noticed it had gotten a little noisier since he'd been lost in his thoughts. When he opened his eyes to investigate, he noticed the bath attendants calmly descending upon bathers who exited the onsen immediately after hearing their whispers. Akihito reluctantly heaved himself out of the water and approached one of them.

"Excuse me, Miss, what's happening?"

"I'm afraid there is an emergency and everyone must go back to their rooms."

"What kind of an emergency?" Akihito's reporter senses tingled.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that right now."

Akihito hurried back toward the room; all he had to do was get his camera and slip out before Asami noticed. He listened eagerly to the other guests around him for information as they were herded back into the building.

"I heard somebody got shot."

Fear jolted through Akihito's entire frame. _Asami. _For a moment, he was certain that the man had either killed somebody or been the target himself. He told himself to stay calm; he even slowed his steps a little. It was just a rumor, and that bastard was too evil to be killed by a mere mortal. And as a killer he was tidy, if nothing else; Asami didn't leave incriminating messes. Despite these reassurances, all thoughts of getting a scoop were gone.

AU: What's this? Plot? How did it get into my story? It surprised me, too. I just wanted to say thank you very much to you all for the encouraging reviews so far. They're a real help in letting me know if what I'm doing is working and give me that extra boost of motivation I need to keep going. Have a good day today, friends!


	15. Chapter 15

Finally. The door to the room was in sight and he burst in. At first, there were too many people and Akihito couldn't find him. His heart bottomed out when he saw five of Asami's men pacing the floor, each with a phone to his ear. He counted just two police officers. Then he saw him, alive, well, and irate, arguing with a cop. Akihito was in the middle of melting with relief when a hand clamped down on his shoulder, startling him.

"Thank God." He looked up to see Suoh staring down at him with something like relief on the usually stony face. He let the big blond man pull him forward.

"Boss, he's here," Suoh interrupted loudly. The room grew quiet. Asami's eyes blazed dangerously as they locked with Akihito's.

"Where have you been?" he snapped.

"At that bath, I told you!" he practically yelled at the ungrateful bastard. "What's going on? I heard somebody got shot and I . . ." he remembered the cops were there and stopped. Asami's brief, tense smile let Akihito know he understood.

"I'm fine." He turned to Kirishima. "Find a new hotel."

"Right away." He dialed a number on his phone and stepped into a corner of the room.

"Listen, buddy, you aren't going anywhere till you answer my questions," the cop said, getting in Asami's face, annoyed at being ignored. The other man rolled his eyes. Akihito giggled. He couldn't help it. Suoh's grip tightened slightly on his shoulder in a warning as he escorted him back toward the door.

"Just a second, just a second," the cop yelled after him, "who is this?"

"He's none of your concern," Asami said smoothly. Suoh stepped in front of Takaba to block him from view. Asami got out his phone and made a call. "Detective Sumi? Yes, just now. Could you please tell your subordinate the situation so that I may remove my people out of harm's way? Thank you." He smugly handed the phone to the officer, who listened, with increasing agitation, to the man on the other line. When he finally hung up and handed Asami the phone, he glared at everyone in the room and motioned for his partner to follow him out.

"Kirishima?"

"I booked a guest house at an inn about an hour away, Asami-sama."

"Take him there now," Asami said to Suoh. "Sumi wants my help on this."

"Let me change at least," Akihito growled as he tried to wriggle out of Suoh's iron grip.

"Later, Takaba."

Akihito was bundled into a car with three of Asami's men. Suoh let him ride up front as he drove.

"What happened?" Akihito asked as they pulled out onto the main road.

"We aren't sure."

"So Asami wasn't behind it?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," Suoh snorted. "We don't leave a trail." Akihito laughed bitterly, remembering how he had comforted himself with that very fact. As they put distance between themselves and the inn, Akihito noticed his head hurt and his stomach was roiling. He took deep breaths to calm himself, but it wasn't working.

"Gonna puke, Suoh," he croaked. "Gonna puke, soon." Suoh pulled over quickly and Akihito barely cleared the door before retching onto the pavement. One of the guards had gotten out of the backseat in case this was a ruse to make a run for it. He jumped back as little flecks of vomit threatened to spatter his expensive shoes. He had to admit he was impressed that a runt like Takaba Akihito could eat that much, judging from the sizeable pile of vomit left on the side of the rode. The man noticed Suoh was glaring at him and stopped smiling. Right, not funny.


	16. Chapter 16

Asami was in a foul mood by the time he and the rest of his men caught up with the others at the guest house, well after one in the morning. He was used to things going as he planned and did not appreciate it when unknown strangers ruined his vacation with their pointless murders. He trudged into the guest house and absently nodded to his men as they bowed. He looked around for Takaba.

"They're in the next room, sir," one of his men said. Asami wrinkled his brow.

"It was totally the wife," he heard Takaba say as he entered the room.

"Wrong. Mother-in-law," Suoh retorted.

"There's no way an old lady like that could drag the body that distance so quickly," Takaba fired back. They were sprawled on the couch in front of the TV watching a murder mystery drama. The coffee table showed the remnants of a large dinner a la room service.

"My money is on the best friend," Asami said from behind them, startling both Takaba and Suoh. The latter of the two scrambled to his feet and bowed.

"Asami-sama."

Asami nodded to acknowledge Suoh's greeting, but his eyes were on Takaba. The young photographer looked a little better than he had hours earlier when he was hustled away from the hotel, pale and wide-eyed.

"Bedtime, Takaba. I'll meet you there." His tone brooked no argument. Akihito stuck out his tongue at the yakuza as he left.

"Tell me how it ends tomorrow," he called to Suoh from the doorway, "and be prepared to lose some money!"

"In your dreams, Takaba," Suoh retorted. After Takaba left, Asami turned to Suoh.

"So your cure for murder was more murder?" He gestured to the TV screen skeptically.

"It works in our business," Suoh joked. Noticing Asami was not in a joking mood, he added quickly, "It seemed to take his mind off it, sir."

"How has he been?"

"He got sick from nerves not long after we left, but he got his appetite back by the time we were here. He started off with triple chocolate cake and there was no stopping him after that."

"Well done," Asami said appreciatively. "Make sure you find out who did it."

"Of course, Asami-sama, I'm sure by the time the police-"

"I meant in the movie, Suoh."

"Oh . . . right."

Asami smirked before leaving for the master bedroom.

Takaba looked up from where he sat on the couch fiddling with his camera when Asami entered the room.

"I'm making sure your goons didn't break anything," he explained crankily before looking back down. Asami saw the picture on the digital camera's screen was the one of Takaba and Mei from the restaurant. He ruffled Takaba's hair.

"The day ended rather differently than we anticipated, didn't it?"

"I'm fine, Asami," he growled without looking up. Asami took a calming breath and tried not to take Takaba's attitude personally.

"I know my cute Akihito isn't so calloused and jaded to be indifferent to murder." For a moment, Takaba stiffened.

"It happens," he finally said with a shrug. "At least I didn't see it this time." Asami saw he wasn't going to get anywhere this way. It was too soon. Whenever Takaba Akihito felt weak or vulnerable, he camouflaged it with angry belligerence. He didn't yet realize his ability to feel wasn't a weakness.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, don't go anywhere," Asami growled.

Takaba nodded absently as he continued to flip through the pictures on his camera.

Asami sighed heavily as the hot water hit his back, _almost done_. Soon Takaba would be in his arms and the anxiety and the anger would ebb away. He had known better than to touch him in front of the cops, especially detective Sumi. That, more than the lingering danger, was why he'd had Suoh take Takaba away as soon as possible. The shrewd detective was at times a dangerous ally, and Asami rather he knew as little about his lover as possible. He had clamped down on all thoughts of Takaba as he worked the investigation with Sumi, determined to finish as soon as possible.

"You really expect me to believe you had nothing to do with this?" Sumi had studied him with an expression that was openly and giddily skeptical. "And that you have no idea who's behind it?"

"Have I ever lied to you, Sumi?" He had already ascertained, after a few calls, that the murder hadn't been a hit ordered by anyone he knew, and he knew just about everyone.

"Ha. Ha! You've been lying to me since they day we met, you slick bastard."

"True," Asami had allowed himself a small smile. "However, I can assure you I'm here on vacation."

"You're out of Tokyo a lot, recently," Sumi said shrewdly.

"Don't waste my time, Sumi," Asami said warningly. "I'm not involved with this to begin with, so don't test my patience."

"As far as I'm concerned," Sumi growled, bristling, "you're involved because you are who you are, and you were here. I'm not an idiot."

"Why do you need me then, if you're so smart?" Asami smirked.

"You'll see."

Sumi led him to an out of the way hot spring, still on the resort's grounds, where he explained the bloated body of a young woman had surfaced after being disturbed by a honeymooning couple. Asami snorted at that, _mazel tov*. _

The policed had been unable to identify her. He had been obligated to look at the body stiffly filling a black bag in the back of an ambulance. She'd been beaten and strangled. When he saw her hands, he understood why Sumi had wanted him to find out if anyone had ordered a hit: most of the pinky finger on her left hand was missing. Sumi had kept him there longer with pointless questions, likely to punish him for being less useful than usual.

Asami shook his head, coming back to where he was. _Forget it, for now. _He'd always had a rather one track mind. When his head wasn't filled with a chorus of _TakabaTakabaAkihitoTakaba, _it rapidly whirred with the details of his business, planning, organizing, and anticipating. He didn't like things left undone, and this murder took up a niggling residence in that itchy corner of his brain that he couldn't quite shut off. It was no wonder he'd battled insomnia for years until a certain photographer jumped off a roof and into his life. Asami shut off the water. The photographer in question was in the other room, probably still clutching the small silver camera like a child would a teddy bear during a thunderstorm while his parents slept on. Asami toweled off and pulled on a pair of boxers. 

Akihito got up and changed into his pajamas as soon as he heard the water running. Maybe if he crawled in bed and pretended to be asleep, Asami would leave him alone. He had overheard a few details of the murder from Asami's men. Some poor woman had been strangled and hidden in the water. He got under the covers and curled into a ball. Even though she was a complete stranger, it felt disrespectful and wrong to just go on with life as if it didn't matter. If he tried to explain that, Asami would laugh at him and point out that people die every day. Akihito knew that, he _was _a journalist, after all, but . . . he just knew he'd hate himself if he had sex practically on the heels of all this. It sucked, too, because he'd been dying to hug that damned bastard ever since he thought there was a _chance_ someone had finally gotten the better of Asami Ryuichi.


	17. Chapter 17

A bully at heart, when Asami saw the lump that was Takaba under the covers, he had the craziest desire to run and jump on the bed . . . but he was an adult, a reasonable 35-year-old adult who would never do such a thing. Instead, he padded across the floor and sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh, thinking. He realized sex wasn't going to be enough, not for him, anyway. _Being in love really sucks, _he thought as he buried his face in his hands. Normally, he intentionally pissed off Takaba so that when the boy fought him when he wanted sex, he could interpret the root of it to Takaba's severe annoyance with him, not real rejection. Asami learned this helpful little self-delusion early on in his relationship with Takaba, since personal rejection was not something he ever encountered before. He snorted. With the boy, it all mattered too much; when Takaba rejected him, it stung and infuriated him. It was fortunate for both that his lover was unable to resist his skillful seductions. Tonight, however, all he wanted was to hold him tight and close and murmur stupid things to him. He sighed again. Vulnerability made him cranky, too.

Akihito finally risked a peek at Asami; he had been sitting there a long time, sighing. He felt like a jerk, hiding under the covers, pretending to sleep while the guy he was after (secretly, of course) sat hunched over with his head in his hands. He gathered his courage and sat up.

"Are you okay?" Asami turned his head and blinked at him.

"Yes. Why?"

"You looked like you had a headache or something." Takaba scooted to the edge of the bed and sat next to him.

"I was just thinking." He wrapped his arm around Takaba's waist and gave him a slight squeeze.

"About what?" he asked as he leaned against Asami. The older man had to keep himself from laughing when he realized Takaba was trying to comfort him.

"About today," he evaded.

"You really had nothing to do with it?"

"Do you think I would have had everyone looking for you if I had?"

"What?" _Is that why everyone was on the phone when I got there?_

Asami looked away. "Kirishima was out in the gardens when he overheard someone say a body had been found in one of the springs on the resort. He didn't think anything of it, but called me anyway. You had been gone for about a half hour by then, and we were forced to acknowledge there was a possibility-"

"That it was me?"

"You do get yourself into a lot of trouble, Takaba."

Akihito laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry," he apologized absently. Asami just chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Did you find out who did it?"

"Not yet."

"Suoh said the detective is a friend of yours."

"I don't have friends, Akihito," Asami said disdainfully.

"No wonder you are the way you are," Akihito teased.

"And what way is that, my cute Akihito?" Asami leered down at him. The younger man opened his mouth to speak then realized he didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. Cold wasn't fair, or true. Arrogant would only gratify him. Evil didn't quite sound right.

"Dastardly," he said after a moment. Asami actually grinned.

"Did you pick that because it rhymes with your favorite term for me?"

"No, Bastard."

"Ah, there it is," Asami sighed. "It's been a good 12 hours since you last called me that. I was starting to feel neglected."

"Bastard. Feel better?"

"Much. I can even sleep now." He stretched out under the covers and gently pulled Takaba down on top of him. Takaba, of course, squirmed.

"Hey, what are you doing!" he complained.

"Enjoying my vacation." Asami held him still and buried his nose in Takaba's hair. His hands drew random patterns on the younger man's back. Eventually, Akihito was convinced Asami wasn't going to attack him, at least not at that moment. He let his body relax and mold against Asami's. It felt nice. Really nice.

"You're going to get hot in this shirt," Asami said as he slipped his hands up the back of Akihito's top. Akihito suspected it was a pretense to get his shirt off, but sat up and pulled it over his head anyway.

"You're probably right." He lay back down with a sigh. Ah, skin on skin. Asami's warm hands on his back.

"So you really thought I got shot?" Asami asked curiously.

"It wouldn't be the first time you've been shot," Akihito pointed out defensively.

"True." He stroked Takaba's hair and smiled in the dark as Takaba traced the scar left by Feilong's bullet on his shoulder with tentative fingertips.

"Does it still hurt?" The young man asked softly.

"No. Does yours?" He was already searching Takaba's skin for the familiar smooth patch of skin where the damned Russian left his mark. It pissed him off. Feilong marked Takaba with a tattoo, the Russian with a bullet. His hickies never lasted long. Then again, he didn't mind reapplying them, not at all.

"No. Feels a little weird sometimes."

"That's normal."

"And we didn't see your bodyguards all day," Takaba said, renewing his argument regarding why he thought Asami could have been shot.

"They're assistants," Asami corrected.

"Pfft! You reek of bull shit."

"That can't be," Asami chuckled in Takaba's ear, "I just took a shower." He felt the younger man's body shake as he giggled.

Takaba buried his nose in Asami's neck. "You smell of lies!"

"So is this how you "sniff out" your leads?" he murmured in Takaba's ear.

"That was corny, even for you."

"Corny?" Asami rolled them so Takaba was trapped underneath him. "Want to say that again, Takaba?" His fingers danced across Takaba's ribs and stomach.

"Asami!" he yelped. _No way!_ Asami was tickling him and laughing evilly into the crook of his neck. Shrieking and wiggling, Akihito managed to free his arm and tried to shove the bigger man's face away. It didn't work, of course. As usual, he was reduced to incoherent noises at Asami's hands. Becoming genuinely concerned about peeing himself from laughing so hard, Akihito changed his approach. He hooked his free arm around Asami's head and pulled him down for a kiss. Asami grinned when Takaba's panting mouth met his. As their tongues grappled, Asami took the hint and slid one hand under Takaba's head and another under his upper back, pulling the younger man as close as he could.

"Mmm." Akihito's voice sounded low, even to his own ears. After a minute or two of thorough and tender kissing, the two broke apart, out of breath. They held each other's gaze with a hunger than had little to do with lust. _Hey, don't scare me like that again._

Asami turned out the lights and onto his back. He was pleased when Takaba fumbled in the dark and laced their fingers together as they lay side-by-side. As the euphoria and worry wore off, the fatigue set in. Takaba dropped off first and Asami contented himself with cuddling up beside him until sleep claimed him also.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: When I finished this chapter, I was like, "Oh, this is basically a sex-scene, isn't it?" I'm not very happy with it, but I want to get back to posting regularly, so here it is.

Asami woke up first. His arm felt funny. He looked over and saw Takaba was hugging it in his sleep with one knee jammed against Asami's side. His pulse quickened as his body and heart responded to the sight. Carefully, he extracted his arm and rolled Takaba on his back and stealthily removed the young man's boxers. Absolutely beautiful.

Akihito was cold. He groped for the covers, but couldn't find them. Feeling rather annoyed, he opened one eye. Asami was lying on his side, naked, head propped up by his hand, smirking down at him with a pleased expression. Takaba realized he had no clothes on. Asami trailed a hand down Akihito's chest, sending pleasant shivers over his skin.

"Morning already?" Akihito said, needing to say something.

"Mmhm." The hand was on the inside of Akihito's thigh.

"Hey," he propped himself up a little, "my eyes are up here," he teased. Asami let out a surprisingly loud laugh.

"So they are." He held still so Takaba could kiss him. He could feel the younger man shifting closer as the kiss deepened. Asami held Takaba's cock lightly in his fingers with languid strokes. Takaba seemed to like that.

Akihito didn't know why, but his body seemed more sensitive than usual. Every place Asami touched sent out little tingles of pleasure on his skin. He hummed into Asami's mouth appreciatively as they continued to kiss. Suddenly, the older man started kissing his way down with his gaze roving from Akihito's face to the rest of him. _What was that?_ The exultant, possessive scrutiny made Akihito flush with embarrassment. A hot mouth engulfed his erection rather suddenly, making him squeak. Asami chuckled darkly around his length, causing sensations strong enough to make Akihito unable to support himself on his elbows any longer. He lay back limply and focused on breathing.

Asami could definitely get used to this. He curled his hands around Takaba's lithely muscled thighs as he lay between his young lovers legs. Takaba was breathing heavily and looking down at him with a mixture of apprehension and appreciation. The hectic blush, darkened eyes, and heaving chest all got to Asami rather quickly. He began stimulating Takaba in earnest, impatient to connect with him since the young man hadn't protested the whole trip.

"Asami," Akihito gasped warningly. Asami looked up at him and smirked around his cock. Akihito couldn't stand it, he stiffened and came. Asami lifted his panting form from the pillows and pulled him onto his lap so that the larger man's erection was trapped between their stomachs. Akihito wrapped his arms around Asami's neck and lifted his head to kiss him.

The kisses were soft, at first. Asami knew he should let Takaba catch his breath, but the fact that Takaba wasn't push him away was a bigger turn-on than expected. It made his stomach clench in a funny, unnerving way that he experienced but rarely.

"Hey," he murmured after nipping the younger man's ear and making him shudder. "Care to return the favor?"

Akihito blinked at him. He was asking, again. Suddenly, there was something very fragile about Asami, and it astounded him. He knew right at that moment that he had the power to hurt the yakuza. He realized that was the last thing he wanted. He grinned at him before leaning back and looking down at Asami's cock speculatively as if planning his method of attack.

Asami shivered at the look on Takaba's face as he studied one of his more tender organs with a gleam in his eye. Before Asami could change his mind, Takaba slid down between his legs, nuzzled his inner thigh, and grinned up at him affectionately. Asami grew even harder. _He's going to kill me. _Takaba began a series of nibbles and licks that soon had Asami gripping the bed sheets, furtively of course. Sweat dotted his brow when the younger man began to suck while humming. Asami nearly laughed aloud when he recognized the tune to be "Kimigayo," Japan's national anthem. In favor of not letting his laugh transform into a moan, though, he kept his mouth resolutely shut.

After about a minute of that business, Asami stopped Takaba and pulled him up. Akihito took the hint and straddled Asami's lap again. The older man stroked Akihito's cock as they kissed feverishly. Finally, Akihito pushed himself up on Asami's shoulders, aided Asami's hands on his hips, with every intention of pushing himself down onto Asami erection. He stopped short when his phone began vibrating across the surface of the nightstand. Asami let his forehead drop against Takaba's sweaty chest in frustration.

"Who is it?" he growled. Takaba squinted to see the phone's caller ID.

"Ren-san. I'll call him back."

"Go ahead, it could be for work," Asami ground out against his will.

"Asa . . ." he trailed off as the older man glared at him. "Okay." Takaba leaned over and answered the phone. "Hello," he straightened and sat on the edge of the bed "Ren-san, how are you?" he said politely.

"I'm glad to hear you're alright. We heard there was a murder at the inn where you were staying!" Ren-san blurted. "I thought maybe your job had caught up to you."

"Ah, no, I'm still alive," Akihito said for a lack of anything better to say. 98% of his attention was focused on the very aroused (and arousing) naked man sitting impatiently in his peripheral vision.

"That's good to hear, young man. After all, you've got a job to do." Akihito laughed. "That's right."

"Well, I just wanted to check in. Call me when they give you a contract, okay?"

"Of course. Thanks."

"See ya!"

"Bye!" Akihito put the phone back on the nightstand and scurried back over to Asami.

"What did that enormous cock-block want?" Asami asked as he nipped Takaba's neck to distract him as the younger man slowly sank down on his erection.

"He heard about . . ." Takaba gasped uncomfortably as he felt himself being stretched, " . . . the murder . . . wanted to make sure I was okay." He leaned against Asami and felt the older man's heart pound persistently against his own chest. He breathed hard, adjusting to the length sheathed all the way inside him. Asami's arms came around him almost protectively.

"Is that so?" he murmured in Takaba's ear.

"Mmhm."

"Ready?" One of his hands drifted lower to cup Takaba's behind almost reverently.

"Yeah." Together, they started a slow rising and falling rhythm, watching each other curiously for reactions, but it didn't last long. Soon, Asami was slamming Akihito down and it was all he could do to hang on, especially when the barely audible moans rumbled from the back of Asami's throat. He feverishly pumped his own arousal, certain that Asami was going to explode soon.

"Aki-!" Asami cut the warning off as he came with a cross between a groan and a growl. Akihito came a few seconds later during Asami's frantic last thrusts. The fell over on their sides, panting.

"Asami, leg," he mumbled.

"Mm." Asami rolled onto his back so that the smaller man's leg was no longer crushed beneath him. Akihito took the opportunity to roll off Asami's chest and onto the cool sheets next to him. A few minutes later, there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Asami-sama? Breakfast is here." Both Takaba and Asami groaned sluggishly in response.

"Starving, but don't wanna move," Takaba mumbled.

"You can have the shower first," Asami said before rolling onto his stomach and burying his head in a pillow.

"How kind of you, great Asami-sama," Takaba retorted.

"I try."


	19. Chapter 19

Asami had Kirishima drop him off at Sion after their planed landed in Tokyo; he had things to take care of, as per usual. When he finally made it back to the penthouse, Takaba was asleep in their bed. Asami grinned at the tousled mop of hair sticking out of the covers before unpacking his bag from the trip to Hokkaido. He carried his toiletries with him to the bathroom, planning on a nice shower to wind down. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Takaba's orange toothbrush back in the heavy porcelain cup by the sink. Asami frowned; it was adulterously cozy with Takaba's cheap razor. Asami glared and closed in . . . .

Akihito yawned and opened his eyes. _Morning already? _He rolled out of bed and walked toward the familiar rumble of Asami's voice. The older man sat at the table, talking on his cellphone while annotating some documents spread out in front of him. When his golden eyes looked toward him, Akihito just nodded a good morning before wandering into the kitchen for tea, not wanting to disturb him. He had drunk about half a cup when he thought he heard his name. Carefully he snuck closer so he could hear Asami's conversation.

"How are you planning on transporting Takaba-sensei from Mt. Fuji to Nagoya?"_Takaba-sensei? Me? That idiot! _He hurriedly put down his tea and rushed over to Asami. He noticed now that the older man had _his _cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Akihito hissed. "Don't call me a sensei!"

Asami just smirked at his lover's horrified reaction and continued his conversation. Akihito tried to pry the cell phone away, but Asami just took the opportunity to loop an arm around his waist and pull him into his lap. The younger man sat there and seethed till the conversation was over. Asami had negotiated his pay, travel, accommodations, meals, everything.

"Yes, we'll be waiting for the revised contract, good bye." Asami ended the call.

"You bastard!" Takaba exploded. "They're never going to work with me again since you made it so damned difficult. I don't need that kind of reputation!"

"This whole contract was poorly written." Asami gestured to the stack of papers he had extensively marked.

"When did that get here?"

"Yesterday's mail."

"Couldn't you at least let me read it before you-"

"You were asleep," Asami said with a dismissive smirk.

"So wake me up! Jeez, were you going to sign it for me too?" Akihito twisted himself out of Asami's grip and stood, glowering. Asami's eyes narrowed.

"Akihito, don't you trust me?"

"Not when you hijack my professional life!" Asami rolled his eyes.

"I'm just taking care of the legal side of things, don't exaggerate." Akihito bit his lip and exhaled hard through his nose.

"Try to understand," he said hoarsely, "that it's important for me to handle things myself."

"Because you have so much experience negotiating contracts," Asami huffed.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't ask your advice!" He protested as Asami looked away agitatedly and lit up a cigarette.

"Those idiots tried to under pay you, too," he muttered darkly. It hadn't occurred to him that Takaba would mind his "help." He was glad to see his lover's talent finally acknowledged and wanted to make the future road as smooth as possible. He was surprised when the younger man sat back down on his lap and pawed through the papers.

"Where's the first page?" Akihito's sharp eyes skimmed the pages of legalese for the right one. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like Asami was _sulking. _

"Here," Asami said gruffly as he pushed the correct page to the forefront. His arm curled back around Takaba. After Takaba looked over the changes, he went to the bathroom to wash up.

"Why is my razor in the trashcan?" he shrieked.

Asami smiled contentedly, warm cup of tea in his hand. Everything was as it should be.

Three weeks later, Akihito was riding a train between locations for his new job when he got a text: My cute Takaba-sensei, victim from Hokkaido likely Korean. You, me, Seoul?

Akihito grinned.

The End.

a/n: Okay, so I'm writing a sequel which will be about Asami and Akihito going to S. Korea to solve the murder. They must enlist help from the characters from the "Totally Captivated" so the story will be a cross-over, for those who are interested. If you've never read "Totally Captivated," you should because it's a great story.

Also, if anybody has an opinion about how I used "Takaba" and "Akihito" in this story, it would be great to hear. I tried to use "Takaba" when I wanted it to be more from Asami's point of view, and "Akihito" when it was more from Aki's POV. If you think it was/wasn't effective, or didn't even notice, would you be so kind as to tell me? I'm trying to be more graceful about navigating scenes with same-sex folks in them where pronouns can be confusing. Of course, general comments are always welcome as well!


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